Darkness After the Storm
by TARDIS-set-adrift
Summary: An alien hotel and projections of fear. The Doctor finally finds out who Aderyn is. But how will he cope with the information? And who is the Following Dark? Part five of the Broken Girl series. COMPLETE.
1. Praise Him

**Part five of the Broken Girl series (The Broken Girl, Battle Plans and Wedding Days, The Impossible Time Stream, The Battles Won But The Child Is Lost).**

 **An alien hotel and projections of fear. The Doctor finally finds out who Aderyn is. But how will he cope with the information? And who is the Following Dark?**

 **I DO NOT own Doctor Who**

* * *

Fear. Anger. Both are the same thing for me. Someone once told me don't get scared. Get angry. Those are words I've lived my life by for a long time now. Someone else once told me that scared keeps you fast. It's a super power. It makes you fight harder and run faster. But I don't deal well with fear. Anger is easier to cope with. Usually. It's not easier here. The anger is worse because the fear takes over. There's so much to be scared of. There's so many things here that instill new levels of fear. It waits until you're scared witless, scared enough to welcome it. Then you're gone. I am the last of the group that was here with me. New people have arrived since then. None of us know how we got here or where we are. And none of us know who will be next or when it will strike. All we know is that it will take us all, one by one. If anyone finds this then heed my words. Hide, run, do whatever you can to keep yourself sane and safe. And DO NOT praise him. or those will be your last words. Praise him.


	2. Let's Go

The TARDIS spun lazily in space. It's occupants happily discussing where they could go. There were so many places yet to explore. The Doctor and River wanted to go somewhere exciting. Amy and Rory wanted to go somewhere relaxing. The only thing they could all agree on was that they wanted to have decided where they were going before they went to collect Aderyn. She had been through a lot recently and her novels were proving to be quite successful. It would be a celebratory trip and a honeymoon for Aderyn and River. But the TARDIS had other ideas. The console beeped hectically.

"Oh it's the warning lights," the Doctor groaned "I'm going to get rid of those." But when he got to the console he froze. His hearts raced as he read the lines that had appeared on the scanner screen.

"What is it?" River asked, walking over to read over his shoulder "That can't be her." She muttered.

"Who?" Amy said. She walked over to the console to see what all the fuss was about. But by the time she got there, the Doctor was frantically running around the console. The engine whirred into life before he had even set their course.

"I think it is her. And I think the TARDIS knows where she is." The Doctor said. He looked worried. River swung the screen towards Amy.

"Aderyn," She breathed "That's what you both said to Aderyn about being scared. Is that her? How is the TARDIS showing us this?"

"Aderyn is telepathically linked to the TARDIS. She has been for a while. Well, ever since I taught her to fly. The TARDIS has picked up on the fact she's in distress somewhere," the Doctor said. He then patted the TARDIS console and whispered "Just get us there on time."

"Where are we going?" Rory asked, joining the others at the console.

The Doctor shrugged "I don't know. Just to wherever Aderyn is," The TARDIS landed noisily and the four of them stared at the door with trepidation. "Let's go." The doctor said eventually. He threw the TARDIS doors open.


	3. The Doctor, The Ponds and River

They stepped out of the TARDIS and into an upstairs hall in what looked like a hotel.

"She's here somewhere." The Doctor muttered.

"In a rubbish hotel on a rubbish bit of Earth?" Amy asked, peering over the banister. When she looked round again the Doctor had already started to walk quickly down the stairs "This, assembled Ponds, is not Earth. It's just been made to look like Earth." They followed him quickly down the stairs and into a deserted reception area. The Doctor paced around it, opening doors and peering behind them. When he reached the desk, he rang the bell. It dinged happily in the silent room. A thud on the landing above them made them look up. But they looked back when a door next to the desk opened. Three people stepped out, two of them brandishing everyday objects as though they were weapons. The third, a short, rodent looking alien, held out a make shift white flag. The person closest to them, a young woman in hospital scrubs, kept shifting her gaze nervously upwards.

"Oh, hello," The Doctor said cheerfully."Can you help us? We're looking for someone."

"That would depend on who you're looking for." The woman said.

"Her name is Aderyn." River said. The woman pointed up. River and the Doctor looked up and saw a shadowy figure looking over the banister at them.

The short alien waved his white flag "We surrender." he said.

"It's ok," Rory said, holding his hands up "We're nice."

"How do we know you're telling the truth about that?" asked the woman in scrubs. She waved a chair leg at them.

A voice rang out from above them "You don't." They all looked up to see a strange figure leap from a banister and land in front of the Doctor. Taken by surprise he tried to step backwards. But he tripped over Rory's foot, landing painfully on his back. As he moved to stand, his actions were halted by a sword being held against his throat. His eyes travelled along the blade. He stopped himself sighing with relief when he saw, at the very point of the sword, a small TARDIS etched into the metal. Further up the blade were intricate feathers, carved into the metal with painstaking precision. His relief was short lived when he looked at the figure holding the sword. Their face was covered by a bird skull mask. Long dark hair tumbled over broad shoulders and a defined jaw line was more pronounced by a clenched jaw. But then he saw the eyes beneath the mask. Oh it was her alright. He could tell by the eyes. It would always be the eyes that would give her away. Eyes so green it was startling, constantly alert and narrowed. But there was something else there as well. A deep set anger burned within the bright green.

"Aderyn." he said quietly. One of the hands was taken off the sword handle and the mask was raised. It was indeed Aderyn and she looked furious.

"Prove it's you." She said in a low growl.

"Who else would it be?" The Doctor said with just a trace of alarm.

"Prove it." Aderyn said, twisting the sword enough for the blade to settle against his jaw while the point remained against his jugular. The Doctor slowly put a hand inside his jacket, taking out the psychic paper and passing it to her. She looked at it. For one second he thought it hadn't worked. They had an agreement. If she was ever in a position to need proof that it was him, and that occasion had arisen a few times during their travels, he always showed her the psychic paper bearing his name. She threw the paper into his lap and lowered the sword. She looked skeptically at Amy, Rory and River. She turned to the woman in scrubs "Relax, these guys are ok." She turned back to the Doctor and pulled him roughly to his feet. "What the hell is going on here? You could have killed us!" Amy shouted.

"Oh relax I wouldn't have killed anyone," Aderyn said. Her demeanour had changed completely. She seemed suddenly relaxed. "It's just a threat."

"Why would it not have been him?" River asked.

"Yeah who else would it have been other than me?" The Doctor asked, almost offended.

"How about we talk over a cup of tea?" Aderyn said.

"Great or we can just go home? This place is starting to creep me out," Amy said, staring around the reception. She noticed a line of photographs on the wall, each had a name underneath it. "Look at these. Commander Halke, defeat. Tim Heath, having his photo taken. Lady Silver-Tear, Daleks. Paige Barnes, other people's socks. Tim Nelson, balloons. Novice Prin, sabrewolves. Royston Luke Gold, Plymouth. Lucy Hayward, that brutal gorilla. What's this about?"

"They were all here once. And that's their fears. This place gets inside your head, screws things up, finds your fears. If you want to leave, well, good luck trying." Aderyn walked through the open door.

"Let's go back to the TARDIS," The Doctor said slowly "I need some equipment."

They ran back up the stairs. But the TARDIS was no longer there. The Doctor stomped heavily down the stairs again and sought Aderyn.

She was sat in a bar area, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea, her feet on the table in front of her.

"Did you move the TARDIS?" The Doctor snapped.

"Yes," Aderyn replied sarcastically "I thought it would be a brilliant idea to wait until you got here, steal the TARDIS and come back, thus, eliminating my only means of getting out of here."

"I'm really confused." River said. Aderyn took her legs off the table and kicked out the chair opposite her. They sat as the others walked into the room. The woman in scrubs made tea.

Aderyn stood up "First, introductions. The lovely woman making tea is Rita. She's proved really helpful," she waved her hand in the direction of a bespectacled teen "This is Howie. He's a little awkward. Bless him. And this," She clapped her hand on the shoulder of the alien, who flinched slightly "Is Gibbis."

She sat down again. The Doctor turned to Gibbis " I take it from the pathological compulsion to surrender, you're from Tivoli."

Gibbis nodded sadly. "Yes. The most invaded planet in the galaxy. Our anthem is called Glory To Insert Name Here."

"So who are these guys then?" Rita asked, placing a tray of tea on the table.

"The Doctor, the Ponds and River." Aderyn said.

"Um, the Ponds? We're just the Ponds!" Amy said.

"Fine. This is the Doctor, Amy and Rory, AKA the Ponds, and River."

"Doctor who?" Howie asked, reaching over Aderyn to pick up a mug.

"Just the Doctor." Aderyn said.

"Oz, what the hell is going on?" River snapped.

"I'm not sure. Why are you here?" Aderyn said.

"The TARDIS brought us to you. We got a message." River said. She told Aderyn the rough outline of the message that the TARDIS had picked up on. Aderyn made no attempt to explain, admit to, or even deny the message. Instead she smiled "She's a clever thing that one."

The Doctor picked up a mug and took a swig of tea "I can see why you said she's helpful. That is good tea."

"I'm British, it's how we cope with trauma. That and tutting." Rita smiled.

"Oh, she's good. But anyway, Aderyn , tell us what you do know." The Doctor said.

"All I know is this. People appear here. No idea how they get here, but they get here. The last thing I remember is running from an Angel then suddenly I was here. All I've been able to figure out is that everyone has a room. A room that is unique to them. As for what's in that room, well that comes down to the individual. Rita and Joe got here not long after me. Howie and Gibbis just after them. But this place gets inside your head. And there's no way out."

"Hang on I have too many questions." The Doctor said. He then opened and closed his mouth a few times, shook his head, stood and paced a quick lap of the room then sat back down again. Aderyn raised her eyebrow at him.

River watched the Doctor, trying to figure out which question she wanted to ask first. She settled for one that had been staring her in the face "Who's Joe?"


	4. I've Been Running

Joe was tied to a chair in the hotel's function room. The room was itself was a startling sight. Every chair at every table was occupied by a ventriloquists dummy. They were all laughing. They stopped laughing and their heads turned as Aderyn, River and the Doctor entered the room. Joe had been sat with his chin resting on his chest. As the laughing stopped, he looked up.

"We didn't know what else to do with him." Aderyn explained.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said, approaching Joe and sitting in the only available chair.

"We're going to die here," Joe said quietly "I've seen the light. I lived a blasphemous life, but he has forgiven my inconstancy, and soon he shall feast."

The Doctor looked at him, observing the horseshoe tie pin and dice cufflinks "What's he waiting for?"

"We're still raw. He was waiting for us to be ready. Now I am," Joe said. "Soon you will be, too. Be patient. First, find your room. Everyone has a room Doctor. Even you. Find your room, then praise him."

The Doctor stood quickly and walked back to Aderyn "Praise him? Praise who?"

Aderyn shrugged.

"He said everyone has a room, which we knew because Aderyn has already told us that. But praise who?" The Doctor walked through the tables and chairs at the bar "And what are you doing here?"

"We don't know how we got here or why we're here. But we can't leave." Rita said. She watched the Doctor carefully. Aderyn had mentioned someone called the Doctor. But she said he had been a genius. This man did not look like a genius and his constant pacing was making her dizzy.

"Can't you just walk out?" Rory said.

"Ah yes, why did it take me two weeks to realise that?" Aderyn walked over to a window and parted the curtains. There was nothing behind the curtain "It's the same with the door. Nothing but a wall behind it."

"You've been here two weeks?" The Doctor stopped pacing and stood in front of Aderyn. She nodded. The Doctor hugged her quickly.

"That will be all," He whispered in her ear. When he let her go she smiled at him, but deep down she didn't believe even he could get them out of this. "You said you were running from an Angel?" The Doctor said, suddenly realising what had been niggling at him.

"Yes. I've been running from them for a while. It started a couple of years ago. I kept getting the feeling that I was being followed and then I kept seeing statues where there shouldn't' be one."

"How is that possible?" Amy asked "The Weeping Angels fell into the crack?" The Doctor shrugged. Right now he just wanted to get them all out of their.

Aderyn sighed and turned to address the room at large "If you see an exit then take it. Sometimes someone ends up here who isn't meant to. They get an exit. If you're going to go into a room make sure someone else is with you. Even if it's your own room. In fact, especially if it's your own room. This place gets in your head, so for God sake take someone with you."

"You keep saying that." The Doctor said. He span Aderyn around to face him and pointed his screwdriver at her eyes.

"Saying what?" Aderyn said, pushing away the screwdriver as green spots invaded her vision.

"That this place gets inside your head. You keep saying it. Why?"

"Because it does. Just wait until you see what's in the rooms. You have to remember that none of it is real. Sometimes that's difficult. You've seen Joe. Poor Howie is convinced this is some kind of CIA conspiracy and Rita thinks this is Jahannam. I don't keep repeating it for your benefit, it's for mine." When Aderyn turned away from the Doctor he looked at the readings on the screwdriver. This was not good.

"What is Jahannam?" Amy asked.

"It's Hell. I'm Muslim, we don't have the same idea of Hell as most people. Something in here is making people praise them. When they give in, it kills them." Rita said, trying to relieve some of the obvious tension.

"But what is it?" River asked.

"We don't know," Howie shrugged "It's not a good idea to let it see you. As soon as it comes, we run."

The laughing from the dummies in the function room became louder. It rang in their ears. They looked around at the door. Joe stood in the doorway, his arms raised "Praise him."

"How did he get out?" Gibbis stammered.

Aderyn picked up her mask from the bar, putting it on again.

"You know the drill," she said. Howie, Rita and Gibbis ran from the room, knocking Joe from the doorway as they went. "You lot, with me." She ran. The run up the stairs and along the corridor was all too familiar. She found her room quickly. As she threw open the door she looked round, Rory had stopped, he was staring at a door. "Rory," she shouted, lifting her mask "If that's an exit then take it." She ran into the room without waiting to see whether he followed.


	5. Tick Tock Goes The Clock

The Doctor, Amy, River and Rory followed Aderyn, slamming the door behind them. But the room was already occupied. Madame Korvarian sat on the edge of the bed. She smiled when they turned and saw her.

"Aderyn?" Amy said, spinning Aderyn around so she too was facing the bed.

"She's not real." Aderyn said, before turning back to the door and looking through the peephole.

"What do you mean she's not real?" Amy hissed. Aderyn took a piece of paper from her pocket, balled it up and threw it at Madame Korvarian. It passed straight through her.

"Like I told you, this place gets inside your head. This is my room so it contains my fears. But we need to get out of here before she starts talking."

The Doctor was kneeling at the door, peering through the keyhole. "You're scared of Madame Korvarian?" He whispered.

"Her? No. But this place is clever. We need to move," Aderyn whispered back. She heard the small laugh behind her and sighed "Too late."

"Two years," Madame Korvarian said "Two years. And you still hold on to the hope that he cares."

Aderyn ignored her. She had heard all of this so many times before. She always hid in her room. She knew what was in there. She had once, accidentally, stumbled into someone else's and had felt instantly awkward.

"You still hang on to the belief that they all care. But ask yourself this: Do they really?" Madame Korvarian laughed again.

"What is she on about?" River asked, not able to turn away from the laughing woman.

"It doesn't matter. Now unless you're going to be helpful, please shut up. I'm thinking." Aderyn whispered. But she soon regretted asking for quiet. In the silence she could hear Madame Korvarian's amused whisper.

"Tick, tock goes the clock, your future isn't bright. Tick, tock goes the clock, though you'll try with all your might."

Thudding footsteps passed the door and the Doctor stared out with awe. "Oh that is just beautiful." he breathed.

"Only you Doctor." Aderyn muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The Doctor asked, not taking his eye away from the keyhole.

"Never mind."

The creature stopped walking and Aderyn held her breath. It had never attempted to come after her, but there was the chance that it would go after one of the others. It walked passed the room again.

"It's going after Joe," She said "We're safe. For now." She turned away from the door, resting her back against it. She heard Joe shouting "Praise him." She knew what was coming next. The silence was somehow worse then screaming. She opened the door and peered into the corridor. It was gone.

She opened the door fully and happily left her room. River, Amy, Rory and the Doctor stumbled out behind her. "Come on," she said "I have to see if the others are ok." She walked away from them. It had been so much easier when she had been by herself. She was always safe when she was by herself. It was easier to hide, easier to run. She pulled her mask over her face as she walked. The startling image of Aderyn with the mask put the Doctor in mind of the plague doctor's who would visit patients during the plague. The beak of their mask held herbs with the belief that the plague was spread by bad smells. Aderyn seemed most unaffected by the goings on in the hotel, as though her fears were insignificant.

"Doctor," Amy said quietly "Why is she scared of Madame Korvarian?"

"I don't think she is. I think Madame Korvarian is some kind of symbol for her fears."

"Tick, tock goes the clock, you thought you were their friend," Madame Korvarian's voice rang out through the corridor "But tick, tock goes the clock, until they fly away again."

"How are we hearing that?" River said, looking back down the corridor, expecting to see Madame Korvarian behind them.

"I don't know. But she always says the same things." Aderyn said, her voice stifled by the mask.

"Why are you wearing that mask?" Rory asked. Aderyn stopped walking and turned to face him. She took off the mask and held it out to him "Try it." She said.

Rory slipped the mask over his face. He was alarmed and took it off again. "That's cool." The mask was passed around, the Doctor the last to look at it. He put it on, looking this way and that. "Heat sensors."

"But how does that even work, there are no lenses or anything?" Amy poked her finger through the mask's eye hole, narrowly avoiding the Doctor's eye.

"Clever tech," Aderyn removed the mask from the Doctor, slipping it back over her own face "It's how I find them afterwards. How I find any living thing before it finds me. This will be much quicker if I go by myself, I know where their rooms are. Go back downstairs and wait." Before anyone could protest she took off at high speed down the hall.


	6. It's A Fire Exit

"Doctor, there's something you're not telling us." River said, struggling to keep up with the Doctor as he ran after Aderyn. When he turned a corner, following Aderyn, he was surprised to find a dead end.

"I scanned Aderyn as well as a few other things in this place. Aderyn is right about it getting into her head. She's somehow psychically linked to this place. I don't think she even knows," The Doctor broke into a run again, heading back the way they'd come. But again there was a dead end. "We need to find the TARDIS and get her out of here." he panted.

"Can anyone else see that?" Rory said, pointing at a door.

"It's a fire exit." Amy said.

"No, it's another room," The Doctor said, frowning at the door. "But if you see an exit, take it. I need to figure out what's going on here." The Doctor took off down the corridor again.

"River, can you see it's a fire exit?" Amy asked.

"Yes. The Doctor is right. You two should go. I'm not going to leave here until I find Aderyn." River followed the Doctor. But she couldn't find him. Every turn she took lead to another dead end. Soon she was back next to Amy and Rory.

"I think we're meant to leave." Rory said.

Aderyn had known they wouldn't do as she told them, especially the Doctor. But they could have at least stayed still. Rita, Howie and Gibbis were back in the bar. She had been annoyed to find the Doctor and the Ponds weren't there. Now she had gone looking for them. She muttered continuously to herself, grumbling about how people could be so stupid. For once she knew more about a situation then the Doctor, even though her knowledge on this matter was limited. How many times had she listened to him? Ok so she hadn't always gone where he told her, and yes she'd wondered off a few times, but never very far. She'd learnt early on not to go too far in disobeying the Doctor. The last time she'd pushed it she'd been in a library and she'd watched in horror as River had died. She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard the voice again. Once again, Madame Korvarian spoke to her.

"Tick, tock goes the clock, two years is far too long. Tick, tock goes the clock, it's the fault of River Song."

She had always assumed that the voice was just in her head. But the others had heard it. She was fed up of hearing it all. Aderyn sighed "Oh shut up." She muttered. She turned a corner and found yet another dead end. She was getting fed up with this place rearranging itself. When she went back the way she had come, there was another dead end. But a dead end that was occupied by an image of Madame Korvarian "You could be so much better then this. You have so much potential and he is stopping you from reaching it. I could help with that." Aderyn sighed and shook her head. She ducked into a room, closed her eyes so she wouldn't see what was in there and counted under her breath. When she reached ten, she opened the door again. The corridor had changed again. She had learnt this trick within a few days of coming here. She tricked the place into thinking she was staying in a room. She ran down the corridor before it had a chance to change again and collided painfully with the Doctor.

"There you are," she shouted "I told you to go back downstairs."

"I didn't think it was a good idea to leave you alone." The Doctor said.

"Where are the others? We should all head back down to the bar." Aderyn said. She picked herself up off the floor and began to walk down the corridor.

"I'm not sure," The Doctor said, running to catch up with her "I told them to go back downstairs."

Aderyn sighed "I'm going to tell you everything that is wrong with that. Firstly, you really expect Amy and River to listen. And secondly, Rory would have followed them. And thirdly, when you tell someone not to wonder off, they never listen. I'm starting to think you'll never find a travelling companion who listens. They could be anywhere."

"Or we could be right behind you." Amy said.

Aderyn jumped and spun round to see Amy, Rory and River had turned a corner and found them. Aderyn swore under her breath "Right, lets just get back downstairs before anything bad happens."


	7. When You Run With The Doctor

"There's no point trying to do anything tonight. People need sleep," Aderyn snapped. As though it were routine, Rita and Howie collected bedding from a room opposite the reception, while Gibbis and Aderyn moved tables and chairs. "Everyone grab some bedding and find a space." Aderyn said when Rita and Howie returned. She then stormed moodily to the door and sat down on the floor, staring into the reception area.

The Doctor took an uncertain step towards the door, but thought better of it. Instead, he took a few blankets and stretched himself out on the floor. Amy, Rory and River, all confused, mimicked his actions.

"What's going on?" Amy whispered.

"I really don't know," the Doctor said "I don't like not knowing."

"What are we going to do?" River whispered.

"You three are going to get some sleep. She's right on that one at least," The Doctor said and fell into a thoughtful silence. He then propped himself up on his elbows and hissed quietly. Howie, who had been stretched out not far from them, rolled over and looked at him. "Who's idea was it to sleep everyone in here?" The Doctor whispered.

"It was Addy's idea. She said it was safer. She never sleeps though. She always sits on guard. We don't get attacked at night. What else were we meant to do? Sleep in the rooms?" Howie hissed.

"Fair point." Amy muttered. The Doctor lead back down. He listened to Amy and River muttering, passing ideas back and fourth between them, with the occasional input from Rory, until Amy and Rory fell asleep. River and the Doctor stared at the ceiling. Both too uncertain and worried to even contemplate sleep. They stayed still and silent until movement across the room caught their attention. Rita was walking towards the door with a cup in each hand. The Doctor rolled over so he could see the door. He could just about make out Aderyn's shadow where she was sat against the wall.

Aderyn grasped her sword as she heard footsteps approach her, but lessened her grip when she saw Rita stood in the doorway, offering a cup of tea.

"You should be asleep." Aderyn said.

"Couldn't sleep," Rita said, sitting on the other side of the door and sipping her own tea "Do you ever sleep?"

"Sometimes when the occasion calls for it." Aderyn smiled.

"So who are they? The Doctor and River and the Ponds?" Rita asked.

"The Doctor is a screaming genius...Well he has his moments. The others are just friends." Aderyn said quickly.

"That woman in your room, she said something about them didn't she?"

"Yeah, she did. And she's right. I never really did believe they care. Still don't. I think keeping an eye on me has become a force of habit more then anything else." Aderyn shrugged. They fell into an oddly comfortable silence, listening to the clock tick past the seconds.

"Outside of all this, back in the real world, what's your life like?"

Aderyn smiled "It used to be about fun and adventure. It was mostly running."

"Running?"

"Running. When you run with the Doctor, it feels like it will never end. But however hard you try, you can't run forever. You run as long as you can, as far as you can. Sometimes you run to save someone's life. Sometimes you run just to save yours. But no matter what you do, you stop running. I've seen whole armies turn and run away. And he'd just swagger off back to his TARDIS and open the doors with a snap of his fingers. The Doctor in the TARDIS. Next stop, everywhere," Aderyn said, with an excited glint in her eyes. But that vanished quickly "Whenever the Doctor makes friends with someone I always feel the need to notify their next of kin."

"What about your next of kin?" Rita asked gingerly.

Aderyn looked down at her now empty cup "It's just me."

"Don't you have any family?"

Aderyn shook her head "No. It really is just me. I was adopted when I was two by people who didn't care. Speaking of next of kin, what's with your room?" Rita didn't answer. Instead she looked helplessly at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"Don't worry about answering that. The disappointed parent is easy to translate." Aderyn felt guilty about asking. It was obviously a tetchy subject.

"It's not just him," Rita replied quietly "I've always been a disappointment to both of my parents. Everyone really. I never had good enough grades or a good enough job or I'm not as clever or a pretty as my sister. My sister was married by my age. She's got a husband and a child. My parents are disappointed that I'm still single. I've made too many choices that they disagree with. Mostly for religious reasons."

"I know what it's like. Living this long makes me a disappointment to my so called parents, I had girlfriends instead of boyfriends, I always wanted to be an author and they never considered that a real job, I learnt to defend myself, I made a friend. The list goes on. But they had no religious reasons to fall back on."

The silence between them remained comfortable. Aderyn found it oddly relaxing to have the company there. Even if they weren't talking, just having someone sat there was enough. She was too used to living in a cottage by herself. River couldn't be there as often as Aderyn would like and she really didn't want to spend all of her time in the TARDIS. As much as she liked running, she didn't want to do it all the time.

Rita cleared her throat politely "The woman in your room, who is she?"

Aderyn smiled sadly "I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."

Rita raise an eyebrow at her "Really? I'm sat on the floor of an alien hotel that is haunted by a monster who kills people who praise him. Try me."

"Ok, then. Her name is Madame Korvarian. The Doctor is a time traveller. I used to travel with him through time and space. The TARDIS I mentioned is his time machine. River is Amy and Rory's daughter. When she was born, Madame Korvarian took her and turned her into a weapon to use against the Doctor. She was meant to kill him. I believed she did. I thought he was dead for two years. But it wasn't her fault. She'd been brainwashed."

"See," Rita smiled kindly at her "That's actually easy to believe. How about we go for a drink if we get out of this alive?"

"That sounds like a plan," Aderyn said " _When_ we get out of this the drink is on me." For the first time in two weeks, Aderyn's smile was one of genuine happiness and hope.

"Well then, that's a date." Rita smiled.

"You should try and get some sleep. I'm going to get us out of here as soon as possible." Aderyn said kindly. When Rita had retreated back to the bar, Aderyn cast a glance round the doorframe at River and the Doctor. She knew they would be awake. The Doctor never slept and River would have chosen to stay awake. She felt a small pang of guilt and silently prayed that neither of them had heard her conversation with Rita. She had believed she wouldn't see the Doctor or River again. Had almost hoped she wouldn't. She had been able to take on many aspects of this hotel, or whatever it was, as they had happened. She had proven to herself that she's as good as the Doctor. But she had quickly realised that Madame Korvarian had a point. She really needed to stand on her own two feet now. There was no guarantee they would keep helping her.


	8. Anger Gets Stuff Done

Sleep didn't last long. Soon enough, the peace and quiet Aderyn had been enjoying was broken by muttering and yawns. She stood up and marched confidently back into the room. The only person showing no signs of wanting to wake up, was Rory. Aderyn yanked the blanket off of him and roughly nudged him on to his back "Time to get up," She shouted at him. "Unless you want to lie there and wait for it to get."

"Why do you have to be so angry all the time?" Rory yawned.

"Anger gets stuff done." Aderyn snapped.

"Right Doctor, what's the plan?" Amy asked. The Doctor shrugged. He had spent the night trying to figure out how to get them all out. But he hadn't been able to come up with anything. He had been too busy trying to piece together what this had to do with Aderyn. He looked up at Aderyn. He had heard everything she had said to Rita. He knew she had given up on him. But that wasn't a problem. He just had to protect her. He just didn't know if she would let him do that.

"You still haven't told us everything you know. I can tell when you're lying." He said.

For a minute Aderyn didn't say anything. She walked to a cupboard behind the bar and took out a long length of rope. "I know that Howie talks in his sleep. And I know who's next."

"I can't be next." Howie stammered.

"I'm sorry." Aderyn said quietly.

"I can't...praise him." Howie clapped his hands over his mouth as the words left his mouth without passing his brain.

"I'm so sorry," Aderyn said sadly. "I will do what I can but I'm sorry."

Howie nodded sadly and sat in a chair, putting his hands behind his back "Just use it to your advantage."

Howie was moved into the security office, tied to the chair. The periods between his worship were becoming shorter and he was soon laughing sporadically "We're all going to die. It's that cool."

"Of course that is dear." Aderyn said sympathetically as she fiddled with the tannoy system. Soon Howie's voice boomed throughout the hotel. She left the office to find confused and sad faces looking back at her.

"I have a plan. We need to draw it to us. If we can catch it then we can do something about it and I can go home. I have a meeting with a publisher that I don't want to miss."

"How are we going to catch it?" River asked.

"We lure it into the restaurant. Close the doors, trap it." Aderyn said matter of factly. She kept throwing nervous glances at the Doctor. She couldn't help but expect him to step in, tell her there was a flaw in her plan. It was the thought of thing he'd do. He'd done it before.

"Ok," The Doctor said "We trap it, find out what it wants then go home." The lack of objection took Aderyn by surprise but she carried on regardless.

"Right, Gibbis, stay there with Howie. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere. Amy, Rory, River and Rita. I'm going to need you on doors. As soon as it comes for him, then the doors get shut and barred. Doctor, you and me are going to stay in here and find out what it wants." She marched resolutely back into the restaurant.

"There's still something she isn't telling us." River whispered.

"I know. But trying to get her to tell us could prove difficult." the Doctor whispered back. He then followed Aderyn.


	9. Away From The Doors!

Aderyn paced around the restaurant. Her and the Doctor had cleared away the tables and chairs, leaving a table in the middle with part of the tannoy system sat on its top. Howie's voiced boomed through the small speakers "Praise him."

Aderyn looked out of the doors as she paced passed them. Amy and Rory were both looking nervously around, waiting. River, on the other hand, threw glances over her shoulder at Aderyn as she walked passed the open doors. Rita was just out of her eye line, but Aderyn could see her shadow. She was behind the door, ready to push it closed.

They heard the footsteps, thudding on the floor above them. Aderyn grabbed her mask off the bar and put it on, looking up at the ceiling.

"It's on it's way." She muttered, following it's movements until there were more walls then the sensors could get through. She whistled quietly and there was movement in the hall as Amy, Rory and River found somewhere close to the doors to conceal themselves. River copied Rita and pressed herself against the wall behind the door. She prayed this would work. She wanted to get out of here and find out what this had to do with Aderyn before anyone else died. Though she couldn't really hate Rita for the over heard conversation, she hoped they could get away from her quickly.

The sound of footsteps became louder. They waited. Once they heard Aderyn's signal they were to close the doors and bar them with whatever they could. Amy's hands trembled as she clutched a mop. From her hiding place she couldn't see the creature, but she could hear it's ragged breathing and snarling as it passed by her. A short, loud whistled sounded and she and Rory leapt from their hiding place. They slammed the doors closed. Amy pushed the mop through the handles. She heard the other door slam. Now they were to wait.

The Doctor soniced the speakers and they fell silent. The creature loomed over Aderyn and the Doctor.

"A Minotaur." Aderyn breathed. But the Doctor, having already seen it, albeit through a keyhole, was less then awestruck by it. Instead he spoke quickly "You take people's most primal fears and pop it in a room. A tailor-made hell, just for them. Why?"

The Minotaur responded with snarls and growls.

"Did you say they take? Ah, no I misheard. What is that word? The guard? No, the warden? This is a prison." Aderyn said, snapping out of her amazement. She looked at the Doctor, who looked as stunned and horrified as she felt. "So what are we, cell mates? Lunch? We are not ripe. This is what Joe said, that we weren't ready. So what, you make us ready?" The Minotaur snarled again "You what? Replace? Replace what, fear? You have lived so long even your name is lost. You want this to stop. Because you are just instinct. Then tell me. Tell me how to fight you." Aderyn said quickly. She instinctively backed away as it took a step closer to her. But something else caught it's attention. From somewhere outside the room they heard Howie's voice call loudly "My master, my lord. I'm here!"

"Away from the doors!" Aderyn shouted as the Minotaur ran quickly and crashed through them. The Doctor and Aderyn weren't that far behind it. The Doctor stopped to help Amy and Rory to their feet but Aderyn ran after the creature. It looked like it was heading for the security room. She could see Howie stood in the doorway. His arms were raised and he had a broad smile on his face. Aderyn knew there was nothing she could do. She turned away quickly, unable to bring herself to watch. As it walked away from Howie's body, it paid her no attention.


	10. I'm So Sorry

Aderyn picked Howie's broken glasses from the floor and put them on over his closed eyes. She ignored everyone else as they poured into the small room. Instead she turned her attention to Gibbis. An anger burned deep in her eyes as he cowered under her gaze "He got free. He overpowered me. It might leave us alone now. Maybe now we'll be safe." Gibbis stammered.

"Don't talk to me." Aderyn said in a furious whisper. She stared at the body of Howie for a moment then stormed from the room.

"We should go after her. It's not safe to leave her alone when she's this angry." River said quietly. But she made no immediate attempt to follow her. Instead she was watching the security monitors. She watched Aderyn pace around the restaurant then pick up a chair and hurl it across the room.

"You sure you want to be around her when she's like that?" Amy said.

"No, not really. But it's safer then leaving her by herself." River said. She was the first to reach the door to the restaurant and had to duck to avoid being hit by a mug, that shattered against the door frame.

"Would you calm down!" She shouted. But Aderyn turned the full force of her glare on River.

"Why should I?" She roared "If Gibbis the Coward hadn't let Howie loose then he would have survived. That was another life lost that could have been avoided."

"You need to calm down because you're freaking me out." Rita said quietly. River grimaced when Aderyn didn't turn her anger on Rita as she so easily had on everyone else.

"Sorry," Aderyn said calmly "Now if everyone could be quiet for a moment I think I may have an theory." She threw herself across the room and sat on the floor against the wall, legs bent, elbows on her knees. She leant her head back and closed her eyes, humming quietly to herself. It was a tune the Doctor recognised. The tune to a Gallifreyan lullaby he hadn't heard in a long time. He wondered for a brief moment where she could have heard it. The Doctor and River watched Aderyn carefully. Amy nudged the Doctor. When he didn't respond she grabbed his shoulders and spun him round. Standing in the doorway was Madame Korvarian.

"Don't worry about that," Rita whispered "Every now and then whatever is in the rooms leaks out."

Aderyn stood and picked up a table she had knocked over. Rummaging in her coat pocket, she found a piece of chalk and began to draw on the table top. Without turning, she indicated the projection in the doorway "That's nothing new." The Doctor, River, Amy and Rory walked over to peer over her shoulder. They couldn't really make much sense of what she was writing. She wrote a list of, seemingly random, words. Her attention wasn't drawn away from her task when a cruel laugh sounded from the doorway. She merely sighed and carried on. But when a familiar voice spoke harshly, she paused and turned.

"Honestly dear, I don't know why you bother. Your parents didn't want you." Madame Korvarian was no longer stood in the doorway, but Madame Vastra was walking into the room. But Vastra changed. Jenny was now stood, arms folded, staring at Aderyn, a cruel smirk curling her mouth "Not even the people who adopted you wanted you. What makes you think any of us do."

Aderyn stormed across the room and stood in front of her "I get it," She snapped "I get it. Both you and I know you're right. There, I've admitted it. You win. Now shut up I have work to do," The projection flickered and changed back to Madame Korvarian, who was still grinning horribly. It remained for a few moments then vanished. Aderyn turned back to the Doctor, River, Amy, Rory and Rita "I think I've figured out how it choices people and why."

"What was that about?" Rory asked.

Aderyn sighed "It doesn't really matter. What matters is I think can shine some light on what's going on here. What do these things have in common?" She pointed at the words on the table and they peered down at them. Luck, fate, conspiracies, religion, people.

"They're all things people believe in." The Doctor said quietly.

"Exactly. And I know who's going to be next," When Aderyn looked up her eyes were tear filled "I'm so sorry Rita."

Rita shook her head "You've nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault I'm here. None of this is your fault."

"That doesn't matter. I should have figured this out already. Amy, you're after Rita." Aderyn muttered. She walked away from them and started pacing along a wall, muttering continuously.

"I think I know what her fears are." The Doctor said quietly. "Madame Korvarian was just a symbol of her fears. And she has a few of them."

"What are they? If we can figure it out maybe we'll figure out why she's here." Rory said in a hoarse whisper.

"A fear of who she will become. We've already established Madame Korvarian has something to do with Oswin. We found that out when all of time happened at once. And a fear of, for want of a better way of putting it, abandonment."

"That's why we saw Vastra and Jenny." River said.

"Now what we need to do is find out how to get us all out of here before anyone else starts worshipping a Minotaur," The Doctor said. He then walked quickly to Aderyn "We need a plan."

"We either try to trap it again or we find a way to get people to stop having beliefs." Aderyn grumbled. Amy felt her stomach knot. She had been close with Aderyn since they had first met. Aderyn had even saved Amy's life before. But now Aderyn didn't seem to care about the fact that Amy was about to be killed by a Minotaur. Not that she had any idea who or what she was meant to believe in.

"We need to find out where it is." The Doctor said, walking back over to them.


	11. The Hotel Will Keep Us Apart

The squashed themselves into the security room, each staring at the monitors, trying to see if the creature was anywhere to be seen. None of them noticed Rita leave the room until she appeared on one of the monitors. The Doctor snatched up a phone and dialled. Rita stopped walking and looked at a door. She went into the room.

"Rita?" the Doctor said "Where are you going? Can you take the phone into the corridor? Will it reach?" Rita appeared on the monitor again, looking directly into the security camera. Aderyn took the Doctor's sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and aimed it at the phone making both sides of the conversation audible to everyone in the room.

"I started to praise him." Rita said. Aderyn held her breath. She had prayed she had more time.

"We'll find a way to stop it, I swear to you. I am an otter's toenail away from saving us all." The Doctor said. Aderyn rolled her eyes.

"That's quite the God complex you have. But no, I need to get as far away from you all as possible." Rita said calmly.

Aderyn snatched the phone from the Doctor "I'm coming to get you." She said.

"Don't. The hotel will keep us apart. I could be fifty miles away by now." But Aderyn missed Rita's protests. She had already darted from the room. She'd seen the door numbers on the corridor and knew where to find Rita. But getting there was proving near impossible. The hotel really as trying to keep them apart. She'd ducked into three rooms to trick the hotel but it was taking too long. by the time to got to the right corridor it felt like she had been running for hours. She saw Rita stood in front of her, arms low but outstretched. She could see the creature approaching from the other end of the corridor. With little effort she pushed for one last burst of speed and was able to reach Rita first. She grabbed Rita's wrist and started to pull her along behind her "Run!" she shouted.

She some how managed to get a head start and pulled Rita into one of the rooms. She clamped her hand over Rita's mouth and walked uncertainly backwards to the phone. She picked it up and pressed random buttons until it rang and the Doctor answered.

"Where are you?" He said.

"Room 311. This is the only time I'm going to ask. Doctor, I need your help. I need you to come and get me." And she put the phone down before she could feel too guilty about asking for help. She should have been able to get them out of this. Rita squirmed and fought against her, her constant worships muffled by Aderyn's hand. But Aderyn was quickly loosing her temper. A carefully aimed _thwack_ with a light table lamp rendered Rita unconcious and blissfully still alive. If she wasn't awake she couldn't praise him. She heard the creature's footsteps go passed the door. She then heard a high pitched whine and knew that the Doctor was somehow using the sonic screwdriver to ditract it. She didn't dare open the door and see if the coast was clear. Though she had no need to do that. The door was soon thrown open by the Doctor. He looked at Rita with concern.


	12. You Failed Her Again

Rita winced when Rory pressed an ice pack against her head "Why did you do that?" She whined.

"Sorry had to shut you up some how." Aderyn said. Though there was no hint of genuine apology in her tone. She sat awkwardly on a chair in the restaurant, jiggling her leg constantly and drumming her fingers against the bar in a regular, constant pattern. The Doctor stared at her fingers. That was a pattern she shouldn't know. His blood ran cold. There was only one person that beat had ever been associated with. She shouldn't know the drums of war.

"Where did you hear that?" He demanded.

"What? Hear what?" Aderyn said. The Doctor pointed at her fingers which were still tapping out the beat. Aderyn shrugged "My publisher. She usually taps it out during meetings. Kinda gets stuck in my head."

She? Ah, that's ok. Must be a horrible coincidence then. The Doctor breathed a small sigh of relief.

"So what are we going to do?" Amy asked "Is it going to come after Rita again or skip over her and come for me instead?"

"I don't know." Aderyn said.

"How did you even know who was going to be next?" River snapped. She was really starting to get annoyed with how much friendly attention Aderyn was starting to show towards Rita and yet seemed unphased by Amy's potential demise.

"Because I worked it out. Smaller beliefs, like luck or conspiracies, are easy. They're nothing. It's too easy for someone to believe that they've lucked out or been kidnapped by the CIA. They're the easy ones to pick off. But religion is complicated. It's harder to believe in a God or a Devil," Aderyn waved her hands casually as though she were having a conversation about something as mundane as the weather "However, the belief in people is something different. It's a belief that works away at you over a long period of time. In your case Amy, you have a deep seated belief that the Doctor will save you."

"What about you? What do you believe in? It's not come after you yet." Amy snapped.

"I don't believe in luck, or fate, or a God or anyone. I used to. But not anymore," Aderyn said quietly. "It's easier that way."

River watched Aderyn carefully. She was a bundle of nervous energy. And in her head, something clicked into place. "Aderyn, in that note the TARDIS got, at the end..." River started.

"I know," Aderyn interrupted "Like I said, I used to believe."

"But what did you believe in?" Rita asked. She had only known Aderyn for a short period of time, but already she felt like she knew her well. She found it hard to believe that Aderyn had believed in anything or anyone. She was fiercely independent and a little bit snappy.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is I don't now and I don't know how to get out of here." Aderyn muttered.

A door behind the bar opened and they all jumped. Madame Korvarian stepped through. But Aderyn noticed something weird. That door should have lead to the kitchen area. However, behind Madame Korvarian, Aderyn could see what looked like a console room of a ship or base. Madame Korvarian stared at her and smiled knowingly. The Doctor, River and Amy looked at Aderyn. But she wasn't paying much attention anymore. She was rummaging through her pockets. She took a vortex manipulator out of her pocket, punched in coordinates then gave it to Rita.

"This is a vortex manipulator. When everything is sorted, which it will be, you'll be able to use this. Just put it on your wrist and press the button." With that Aderyn walked towards Madame Korvarian and pushed passed her, through the door.

"You, Doctor. That's what she believed in. And you failed her again." Madame Korvarian said. She then backed away from the door and closed it.

The Doctor was the first to reach the door. He yanked it open and found himself looking at an untidy kitchen.

"Where is she? Where did she go?" River said. She followed the Doctor into the kitchen, looking this way and that. But Aderyn was no where to be seen.

"I don't know but it's not good. Madame Korvarian has something to do with this. Right now we have to get out of here and find her. Wherever she is, she's likely to be in trouble."

"Praise him."

The Doctor and River walked out of the kitchen and stared in horror at Amy.

"Praise him." She said again.


	13. I Am So Glad That Worked

"Doctor, what do we do?" Rory asked.

"I don't know," The Doctor replied quietly. "I need to find Aderyn. I need to find her. She could be in trouble."

"What about my wife?" Rory shouted.

"I can't help her. There is nothing I can do. I can't save her." The Doctor shouted back

"What are you on about?" River snapped. They heard the thud of footsteps above them.

"It's coming." Rita breathed. Gibbis cowered under a table.

The Doctor strode over to Amy and stood in front of her. He met her gaze "I can't save you from this. There's nothing I can do to stop this. I stole your childhood and now I've led you by the hand to your death. But the worst thing is, I knew. I knew this would happen. This is what always happens," The thudding footsteps drew nearer and soon the door was thrown open. The Doctor ignored the Minotaur. "Forget your faith in me. I took you with me because I was vain. Because I wanted to be adored. Look at you. Glorious Pond, the girl who waited for me. I'm not a hero. I really am just a mad man in a box. And it's time we saw each other as we really are. Amy Williams, it's time to stop waiting."

There was a pained snarl and the Minotaur collapsed. The hotel around them dissolved and was replaced by a hologrid.

"I am so glad that worked." River muttered.

"Rita, it's sorted. You're free to go. Do what Aderyn told you. Press the button." The Doctor ordered.

"But what is that thing? Where are we?" Rita stammered.

"Distant cousin of the Nimon. They descend on planets and set themselves up as gods to be worshipped. Which is fine, until the inhabitants get all secular and advanced enough to build bonkers prisons. This is it's prison. Fully automated. It drifts through space, snatching people with belief systems and converts their faith into food for the creature," The Doctor turned kindly to Rita "Now go. Go on. I'm sure Aderyn will find you again and explain."

Too confused and afraid to argue, Rita pressed the button and vanished. The Doctor ran over to a small control panel "Here we go. Gibbis, I can reverse the teleport that brought you here," And with that, he did. Gibbis was soon gone. The Doctor turned his attention back to the control panel "I can lock on to Aderyn's signal. We can find her." He pressed a button and the prison around them vanished. Or rather they vanished.

"Short range teleport." The Doctor said. He looked around the white room they had found themselves in. One wall was taken up by a large window. Amy looked out of it. Looking down on the empty hangar beneath them, she was struck by a wave of deja vu. "Demons Run. We're at Demons Run." She said.


	14. You Are The Following Dark

They left the white room and emerged into a corridor. The Doctor ran ahead of them. He somehow knew that there was only one place they would be. He found the control room quickly and discovered he was right. Madame Korvarian glared at them as they burst through the door.

Out of nowhere, the Doctor, River, Rory and Amy found themselves being held tightly by arms of stone. They each looked over their shoulders to find themselves being restrained by a Weeping Angel. Each Angel smiled eerily at them. Luckily, these Angels weren't powerful enough to send them back in time, but they were strong enough to hold them in a vice like grip.

"Well, well, well. Doctor, we meet again. Ah and Amy Pond. I would apologise for our last encounters but I'm not even slightly sorry." Madame Korvarian smiled at them.

"Where's Aderyn? What have you done with her?" The Doctor barked.

"Oh don't worry. She is perfectly fine," Madame Korvarian pointed behind them and they craned their necks to see. "But I can't say you will be for much longer."

Aderyn was sat in a corner, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms thrown over her head. She rocked back and forth ever so slightly.

"That's not fine!" River shouted.

"She will be. It's going to take time to adjust to the amount of hate she's feeling right now." Madame Korvarian said "All I had to do was remove her faith in you, stop her believing you actually cared. That was easier then I'd expected." She walked over to a control panel and flipped a switch. Aderyn slumped onto her side, clutching her head. They could hear muffled sobs.

"What are you doing to her?" Amy asked.

"I'm having a bit of fun." Madame Korvarian replied. She paid no further attention to Aderyn until it was too late. Aderyn had managed to get to her feet and dove towards Madame Korvarian, knocking her away from the control panel. She flipped a switch, turning the panel off. Madame Korvarian stood and drew a gun. Aderyn stood her ground. The force of the first shot sent her crashing backwards. But she was soon on her feet again. The Doctor, River, Amy and Rory watched in horror as Aderyn kept standing, only to be shot down again. Every time she stood she counted allowed, counting backwards from six. When she reached one she laughed. Led on the floor, blood pouring from several bullet wounds, she laughed. Still laughing she stood up again.

"You've got one shot left Korvarian. You better make it worth while."

And it was. The bullet pierced Aderyn's chest close to her heart. She doubled over and sank to the floor.

"No!" The Doctor shouted. He struggled against his captor but it was no good. Beside him, River kicked out pointlessly.

Aderyn attempted to stand. But Madame Korvarian activated the control panel again. Aderyn collapsed. She clutched her head, her face contorted in a silent scream of pain.

Madame Korvarian strolled leisurely over to the Doctor. She looked from the Doctor to River "How nice for me to have both of you here to witness this." She smiled. She then walked back to the console and turned on a large screen. She started to quickly tap commands into the console and a barrage of images flooded the screen.

"Doctor, what's happening?" Amy asked.

The Doctor took a deep, shuddering breath "That console is somehow psychically linked to Aderyn. Those images are Aderyn's memories."

"But why?" River snapped, renewing her attempts to get free.

"As Aderyn would say," Madame Korvarian said, turning back to them with an evil smile "Spoilers."

The images that flooded the screen slowed. The Doctor running around the TARDIS console, Amy and Rory happy and laughing on their wedding day, climbing through the Catacombs with River. But they rapidly changed. Where there was River, Amy and Rory there was no one.

"Why are you taking them from her memories?" The Doctor demanded.

"She will be more powerful then you could imagine. She will be the perfect weapon. Fuelled by hatred and anger." Madame Korvarian sneered.

"Anger makes demons of us all," Rory muttered "That's what Oswin said."

"And didn't she just turn out perfect. Aderyn as you know her will cease to exist."

"But why take them from her memories?" The Doctor demanded.

"Because they will hold her back. They will stop her reaching her full potential. Why should they be around when they would be a hindrance?"

The Doctor looked over at Aderyn "Oswin told me to make sure she remembers. I thought she just meant Amy. But she didn't," He raised his voice to a shout "Aderyn, you have to remember them. Remember who you are." Aderyn rolled onto her back and they only just heard her strained whisper "Remember."

More memories flashed across the screen. The Doctor and Amy waving at Aderyn from the TARDIS door. But that too changed. Amy was gone and the Doctor was turning his back. The Doctor looked to Rory, Amy and River for help.

"You were late to my wedding Beastie. I still haven't forgiven you for that. Don't think I'll forgive you for this either." Amy shouted.

"And trust me," Rory added "You don't want to incur the wrath of an angry Scot."

Aderyn didn't move or speak. "Oz," River said "You were the one the Dalek begged for mercy. Don't let that go to waste."

"Your efforts are applauded but futile," Madame Korvarian laughed "We're too far into the process."

The screen went black but a voice rang out in the chamber. It was a voice the Doctor knew all too well.

"Listen," the voice said "Listen and remember. You know who you are. And who you are will save you. Now remember and all will be clear."

"You have to remember." The Doctor said.

Aderyn laughed "I will not forget them, Spaceman. I remember the only water in the forest, the Girl Who Waited and the Last Centurion." She struggled to her feet, lurching forward unsteadily. She walked towards a stunned Madame Korvarian and delivered a blow to her face that sent her reeling backwards. She switched off the console. She took from her pocket a small black eye patch. She put in over her eye and snatched a communicator from the console. After a few moments pause she spoke into it. Her voice suddenly clear and confident, the pain she was clearly feeling was hidden well. "Am I addressing the Silence?" There was no reply "Oh come now," she continued "You don't have to live up to your name. I know you're out there in your silly little spaceship keeping an eye on everything down here."

A single voice rasped through the communicator "You have failed us Korvarian."

"You should choose your allies wisely." Aderyn barked. She clung helplessly to the console in an attempt to stay upright.

"Doctor, she's dying." Rory said. He knew that she had lost far too much blood to really stand a chance of surviving.

"I know," The Doctor whispered "And there's nothing I can do about it."

As the Silence began to talk all at once, Aderyn cut across them.

"There will be quiet," She shouted into the communicator "Because I. Am. Talking," When there was quiet she spoke again "Thank you. Now, you will all learn a few valuable lessons today. You might want to take notes because there will be a quiz at the end." She dropped the communicator back onto the console and took several shaky breaths.

Madame Korvarian climbed to her feet, wiping the blood from her nose.

"How are you still alive? Who are you really?" She stammered.

Aderyn winced as she turned to face her. "Who am I? I wondered that myself until recently. Iam Aderyn Oswin Tyler. Sometimes known as Addy, or Little Bird, or Beastie, or Oz. And there's a few other names but they're not for the public domain," As she spoke she turned to face River and winked "I am the wife of River Song, I am a child of the TARDIS, daughter of Rose Tyler and the Doctor," The Doctor, Amy and Rory stared at her, not sure whether to believe what was being said. Aderyn had paused again, this time doubled over. The pain was getting worse. As she stood up straight she spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Golden time energy began to swirl around her fingers and she raised her hand. She smiled broadly. "And this is the first time I've done this, so you might want to step back." And then the energy took over. Through the near blinding light, the Doctor watched as she changed. Her hair lengthened, her face thinned, her arms and legs became longer, her jawline and cheekbones more defined and angular. When the light faded, Amy, Rory and River dared to look back at her.

Aderyn sneezed, expelling residual time energy. "Well, that was new," she said cheerfully. She ran her hands through her hair "Ooo, curly hair. I always wanted curly hair. Am I at least ginger?" River shook her head. "That's a shame. I wanted to be ginger," She looked down at her feet, walked over to River, stood on tiptoes for a brief second then walked back to where she had been stood "Two inches taller!" she declared "Oh, that is strange. I believe I have two hearts," She ran her fingers lightly over her face "Okay, good cheekbones and jaw line. Is my jaw line let down by my chin?" River shook her head again. "Thank God for that," Aderyn smiled at the Doctor "At least that's one thing I didn't inherit from you."

Momentarily forgetting about his shook, the Doctor frowned at her "What's wrong with my chin?"

"Nothing, Chinboy. Well nothing really. Just don't get to close to anyone. You might take someone's eye out."

"You are the Following Dark." Madame Korvarian breathed.

Aderyn walked over to Madame Korvarian "I'm much more then that. I'm very pissed off. Now, I'm going to teach you a lesson. Well," she scratched the back of her head, frowning. It was a small gesture that the Doctor recognised. It was something he used to do. Well, a previous regeneration had done. The regeneration that Aderyn had first met. "A couple of lessons actually." She rummaged in her coat pockets pulling out an odd assortment of objects. An apple, paper, pens, a ring on a chain, a diary. And then she found it. As she dug around, her arm elbow deep in the inside pocket, she felt the warm, smooth metal of the sonic screwdriver. She pulled it out with a flourish, threw it into the air and caught it "Firstly, never trust a girl with pockets," she fiddled with the settings for a few moments "And secondly," She raised the screwdriver, holding it level with the console "Never trust a psychic link."

Madame Korvarian smiled at her "What exactly are you going to do?"

"This!" Aderyn activated the screwdriver. For a brief moment there was nothing, nothing but intense sadness and overwhelming anger. She lowered the screwdriver. "I am linked to this console and to this room. Now, here's what we're going to do," Aderyn began to pace "You're going to tell me what your plan is and then we're going to leave. Simple."

Madame Korvarian laughed a high, shrill laugh "Kill me then leave don't you mean?"

Aderyn shook her head fiercely "Why would I do that when I have a much more powerful weapon?" She waved her hand to indicate the console "So tell me what is all this in aid of?" Madame Korvarian didn't reply. Aderyn raised the screwdriver again, this time the misery went on for longer. Through her own, sudden tears, Amy could see Aderyn's hand shaking as she held out the screwdriver. She lowered it again. She walked over to Madame Korvarian, grabbing her by the front of her jacket and slamming her against the wall "Tell me what you were doing?" Aderyn snarled.

Without hesitation Madame Korvarian started to speak "River didn't kill the Doctor. We knew you could do it. But we had to make sure you would be able to."

"So you made sure I got to the hotel and got rid of any hope and belief in them to get me here. Then what? Delete people from my memories. Why?" Aderyn slammed her against the wall again in annoyance.

"Because they would have stopped you. They wouldn't have let you reach your full potential. You could be so much more without them. So much more powerful then you think, then you could imagine. Why would you want to remember them when you could have so much without them?" Korvarian gasped as her back connected with the wall again.

"You're a monster." Aderyn dropped Madame Korvarian and ran angrily to the console, once again aiming the sonic screwdriver at it. The whir of the screwdriver was drowned out by Aderyn's shout "This is why I could never be without them. This is everything I've ever felt without them."

The force of the emotions was too much. The Angels that had been holding Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor dropped them, once again covering their faces. Amy didn't care that she had landed awkwardly on her leg, or that there was now a weird throbbing sensation in her ankle. She didn't really care about anything anymore. She cried uncontrollably. River was sat up, she too was crying. She was hugging her knees. Rory was curled in the foetal position with his arms thrown over his head. He felt so angry, with no idea why. He curled himself into a tighter ball, trying to over come the urge to get up and punch someone. The Doctor was struggling to his feet. His own face was tear streaked and a picture of anger and confusion. With some effort he managed to wrap one arm around Aderyn and pull the screwdriver from her hand. "That's enough now." he said to her. She ignored him and marched furiously towards Madame Korvarian, towering over her "Consider this a friendly warning," she growled "If you ever, and I mean ever, try anything like this again it will be the very last thing you do. And there will be no glitch in time to save you either. If you really think it's a good idea to try and get to me by taking away the people I love then you are very sadly mistaken."

Aderyn picked up the apple from where she'd left it on the console and took a bite.

"Oh, that's really disappointing," she said, chewing slowly "I still really don't like apples." She flicked a switch on the console and the TARDIS materialized. She strode happily towards it "Come on then you lot. I think we all deserve a proper explanation." She walked into the TARDIS but no one else moved. They were staring at the TARDIS is shock. The Doctor, Amy and Rory turned slowly to River.

"Talk about doing something with style." She said before following Aderyn.

"Doctor?" Amy said slowly.

"Yes, Amy."

"What is the Following Dark?"

"A Time Lord human hybrid with a broken time stream and unimaginable power. Said to be the darkness after a storm."

"I think that makes sense." Amy said quietly.

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked.

"The Daleks call you the Oncoming Storm. And she is the darkness after the storm. Is she really your daughter?"

The Doctor opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again "She lied to me," he said quietly "She told me it was her mum that was pregnant. Rose Tyler lied to me." And stormed angrily towards the TARDIS. Amy and Rory had to run to catch up.

Aderyn was busy at the console, pacing a circle around and muttering to herself.

"There was something I was meant to do. Why can't I remember now? Think." she said as she walked. She stopped pacing suddenly and exclaimed "The protocol." She ran to the TARDIS keyboard and started to hurriedly press buttons.

"Um, what protocol?" the Doctor asked.

"The Little Bird protocol." Aderyn said.

"There is no such protocol on my TARDIS," The Doctor said, following Aderyn as she started pacing again. "And what the hell is going on?"

Aderyn pressed a couple of switches as she walked passed them "There is such a protocol. That protocol will explain everything," She pressed one last button and a hologram appeared "At least it should." Aderyn sat opposite the hologram, watching it carefully. Rose Tyler stood before them. The Doctor couldn't bring himself to move or speak. He wanted to believe this was some kind of trick or joke. But deep down he knew it wasn't.

"My Little Bird, if you're seeing this then you've run the protocol. You need to know that I'm sorry. They were after you and I had no other choice," the hologram said "I had to do whatever I could to keep you safe. I knew your future. I knew that one day, when you needed him the most, a man will take your hand and tell you to run. And you will. He won't be just any man. He'll be a crazy spaceman with a blue box. I knew he'd adore you and do anything to keep you safe. That man will be the Doctor. He'll act like a parent to you just because you need one. Neither of you will know it at the time but the Doctor is your father. And you'll meet someone. Someone that will move in the opposite direction to you. But that won't stop you falling in love. Something else you should know, the most important thing, you were wanted and you were loved. You'll know where to find me, but that door can only be opened once and not for very long."

The hologram vanished and a stunned silence filled the TARDIS. Both Aderyn and the Doctor stared at the spot where the hologram had been stood.

The silence seemed to last for hours until Aderyn broke it. She went to the console and lovingly placed a hand on it "Tell her I'm on my way." The TARDIS hummed softly and Aderyn smiled at it. The engines whooshed and they arrived at their destination seconds later. Aderyn walked to the door, pulling out her sonic screwdriver as she went. She stopped, her hand on the door handle "come with me," she said. She turned to face the Doctor "Please come with me. You need an explanation as much as I do. You heard her, the door can only be opened once," The Doctor didn't move. He didn't even look at her. He was still staring at the same spot "Fine then. But I can't do this alone. River?"

River nodded and followed her. When they opened the door, River was surprised to find they were in Amy's back garden.

Before the door could close, the Doctor launched forward to follow them. He stopped and looked at Amy and Rory "Are you coming?" He asked.

Amy shook her head.

"No. This is something that you really don't need us for. We'll leave you to it." Rory said.

"We're at your house." the Doctor said.

"Then we'll wait for you in there. We'll make tea." Amy followed him to the door. Aderyn and River frowned questioningly.

"Don't worry," Amy said quickly "We're not coming. We're just gonna wait inside."

"And make tea." Rory added.

Aderyn held up her screwdriver, sporadically pressing the button, listening for the changes in tone. She followed the beeps and whirrs. They ended up in Amy's bedroom. The crack in the wall was still there. But the line was broken and disjointed.


	15. Don't Say Spoilers

Aderyn took a deep breath, holding the screwdriver out in front of her, she pressed the button, changed a few settings then pressed it again. The crack opened wide. Beyond it they could see a vast beach.

"Where is that?" Amy asked, peering around the door frame.

"Bad Wolf Bay." the Doctor said. In the distance they could see two people stood facing them.

"The door is open," Aderyn said quietly "We're wasting time stood here." But she didn't move. Fear and apprehension kept her rooted to the spot. She was thinking that this had been a really bad idea when she felt fingers curl around her hand. She looked down at her hand, then up at the Doctor "Come on," he said, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze "If you knew time like I do, you wouldn't talk about wasting it." She looked round at River who gave her a comforting smile.

"Allons-y." Aderyn whispered as they walked through the crack, Aderyn could tell that the Doctor was as scared as she was. He had often told her about adventures he had been on with a woman named Rose, gone into great details about what they had been up to, well to a certain extent anyway. And she could tell he had loved her. But she never would have guessed that the woman was her mother, never guessed that the woman who's adventures with the Doctor she had written about, was her own mother. The fact she had found out a few weeks ago meant nothing. It had all felt like a dream. Now, walking along the sand towards Rose Tyler, the dream was suddenly very real.

Rose Tyler wasn't alone. Aderyn recognised the man she was with. It was a previous regeneration of the Doctor, the regeneration she had first met all those years ago. She had been told that there was a copy of him somewhere, but seeing him stood in front of her was, perhaps, the least surreal part of the day so far.

"The TARDIS told us you would be here." Rose said as they approached. There was an awkward silence. No one knew how best to approach a conversation. The Duplicate Doctor broke the tension, he extended a hand to River "You must be River Song," he said, shaking River's hand "Though I'm not sure whether it's Doctor or Professor. I don't know whereabouts in your time stream you are."

"It's Professor now." River said.

The Duplicate Doctor smiled happily at her "Fantastic." Aderyn looked from Rose to the Doctor, then to the Duplicate.

"We'll leave them to catch up a bit." The Duplicate said.

Aderyn, River and the Duplicate sidled away from them.

"You lied to me," the Doctor said when the others were out of earshot "You told me it was your mum that was pregnant."

"I'm sorry," Rose said "I knew that if I told you the truth then you would have torn both universes apart just to get to me."

"You're right I would have." the Doctor interjected.

"But I couldn't let you do that. That would have destroyed the universe and that's not what you do. You save the universe, you protect it."

The Doctor shifted his feet, digging into the sand with the heel of his shoe "I could have helped. Maybe if I was there then nobody would have been after her. Who was after her?"

Rose tucked her hair behind her ears. The Doctor had forgotten how much he found that small gesture so charming and adorable.

"I don't know and I don't know why. But you see, Doctor, Aderyn needed to be in your universe. She's destined for big things that she still has to do. She had to go through all that hell when she was younger to become the person she needs to be. It wasn't easy for me. Lying to you, giving up my only child. They were the hardest things I've ever had to do. I would rather have taken on the Daleks again then go through that."

They fell into an awkward silence, which was eventually broken by Rose "So you regenerated then?"

"Yeah. I fancied a change." The Doctor laughed awkwardly.

"Bow ties are cool." Rose smiled, reaching out and straightening the Doctor's bow tie.

"I tell people that but the only one that believes me is Aderyn." The Doctor said shyly.

"I bet she's like you. Funny, too smart for her own good, always looking out for other people."

"Yes she is that. But she reminds me of your mum sometimes. She slaps me. Proper clip round the back of the head," The Doctor smiled. This time the laughter wasn't as awkward. The Doctor had to admit he had really missed Rose. "Now she's regenerated she looks like him." The Doctor pointed at the Duplicate, who was laughing with River and Aderyn.

"She looks like you then."

"Is that really what the Doctor looks like now? All floppy hair and elbow patches?" The Duplicate asked. He surveyed the Doctor with a certain amount of distaste.

"Unfortunately yes. He has a bit of a liking for fezzes for some reason as well." Aderyn said.

"And he's casually wearing a bow tie. Who does that?" The Duplicate says in disbelief.

"He does." Aderyn said.

"So do you." River muttered.

"Bow ties are cool." Aderyn said defensively.

The Duplicate stared at her with a mixture of surprise and amusement. But this faded. He gave her a very serious expression "Look, I know it wasn't pleasant for you growing up the way you did. But you are destined for something so much greater then anything you've done so far."

"How do you know that? How do you know so much about my future?" Aderyn said, sounding angrier then she intended.

The Duplicate looked over at Rose to make sure she couldn't hear them "I'm meant to say spoilers. There's very little, well practically nothing, that I can tell you. But I will tell you we had a tip off. Well, I say tip off " He scratched the back of his head the way he always used to when he was nervous or thinking. "We pretty much got told everything that was going to happen to you. Time can be rewritten, but not fixed points. And a lot of the things in your future are fixed points."

He looked up at River, who had been staying quiet as they'd spoken. He, rightly, guessed that she was there more for moral support then anything else. "So where about in your time stream are you two now?"

Aderyn showed him the ring on the chain. It was white gold studded with brilliant blue sapphires.

"That is just brilliant," He said excitedly. "And look, it's the TARDIS colours."

"If you know so much about my future, about who I am, then could you tell me why my time stream is so screwed up?" Aderyn asked. The Duplicate scratched the back of his head again.

"I'm not sure whether I can tell you that. I'll have to run that one passed the missus."

"Speaking of which." River nodded in the direction of Rose and the Doctor. They were watching them.

When they rejoined Rose and the Doctor it was obvious that something had been cleared up between them, though some tension and awkwardness still remained.

"I'm sorry," Rose said to Aderyn "I didn't know what else to do."

"I know," Aderyn said "Fixed points and all that."

Rose smiled sadly at her "That wasn't a fixed point. The fixed points are there because we sent you to the other universe. We did find out what happened to you. But only what happened if you weren't here. But you were never meant to leave."

"Then why did I?" Aderyn asked quietly.

"Because of what would have happen if you didn't." Rose replied.

"What would have happen?"

"Spoilers." Rose said.

Aderyn sighed "Dear God I am so fed up of hearing that."

Rose reached into her bag, taking out two TARDIS blue diaries "I'm not sure how they ended up here. But they did. They're both full. Not a blank page in either. So we knew what would happen."

The Duplicate leant closer to Rose and whispered conspiratorially in her ear. Rose smiled and nodded.

"Ok," The Duplicate said, clapping his hands then rubbing them together "The screwed up time stream."

"Yes why is that?" Aderyn asked.

"You have two time streams. As Rose said you were never meant to leave Bad Wolf Bay. So one time stream developed and kept on as though you were here. That's why you remembered what happened in America," The Duplicate said cheerfully "But it saved your life. When the Pandorica closed you didn't die like everything else in that chamber because your time streams switched. And that's why having Oswin in your time stream made no difference. Brilliant isn't it?" He smiled.

"Brilliant but complicated." River said.

"Everything about me is complicated," Aderyn said. She frowned at the Duplicate "And I can't quite figure out whether you're lying or hiding information from me," the Duplicate opened his to talk but Aderyn raised her hand "If you're about to say spoilers then please don't." The Duplicate closed his mouth then smiled at her.

The scanner in Aderyn's pocket let out a beep. She looked at it "It's a countdown from the TARDIS. We only have a couple of minutes."

"We should head back." River said. Aderyn nodded at her.

River extended her hand to Rose then the Duplicate "It was nice to meet you both. But I better go and put the kettle on." She walked away from them. River was reluctant to leave without knowing that Aderyn was ok, but she needed her time to say goodbye.

"We should go too." The Doctor said. He was as reluctant to leave as River, but he knew he couldn't get stuck here.

"Good luck with everything." The Duplicate said.

"Yeah, you too." The Doctor replied. Rose hugged him. And for a moment, he didn't want to let her go.

"Look after her Doctor." Rose whispered to him.

"You know I will." The Doctor whispered back. When the Doctor let her go, Rose turned to Aderyn. She had tears streaming down her face and Aderyn had to fight back tears of her own.

"You be good," Rose said "And remember that you were always wanted. No matter what anyone ever tells you, you are always wanted." When Rose hugged her, Aderyn could no longer hold back the tears. When Rose let her go she wiped Aderyn's eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.

"I will tell you this much though," She said "There are going to be times when you'll have more fun then you think is possible. Better days are coming for you. And you will have a family of sorts. There will always be someone there for you, even in the darkest of times. Now fly away Little Bird, before it's too late."

The Duplicate hugged her briefly then pushed both Aderyn and the Doctor towards the open crack. They ran. As much as they both wanted to stay, they both knew that this is not where they belonged. Within a second of them getting back into Amy's bedroom the crack had closed. When Aderyn looked at the wall, the crack had completely vanished.


	16. I Was Scared

River had briefed Amy and Rory about what was said at Bad Wolf Bay. And they had all decided that the Doctor and Aderyn needed to talk about it. Amy, ever the diplomat, had shut Aderyn and the Doctor in the living room, telling them she wouldn't let them out until they had sat and discussed this. Amy, Rory and River sat on the floor outside, listening intently.

Aderyn sat on the sofa, jiggling her leg nervously. The Doctor paced.

"You knew didn't you?" The Doctor said quietly.

Aderyn lent back on the sofa, her head titled so she was staring at the ceiling. "I found out just before the hotel." She admitted.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The Doctor said sternly.

"Yes, because this is all about you." Aderyn spat.

"Well I think this is a little about me yes," The Doctor shouted "So why didn't you tell me?"

Aderyn stood and squared up to the Doctor, matching his anger "Because I was scared," She roared. She became suddenly aware that she was in a residential area so probably shouldn't shout. She dropped the volume of her voice and said again "Because I was scared."

"Scared of what?" The Doctor said. Though he too had lowered his voice, he still sounded angry.

"Rejection, abandonment, being alone, being unloved. Take your pick. I've spent my life feeling unwanted and unloved. I've been let down by anyone who dared call themselves a parent to me. But being here with you, with River and with Rory and Amy, it's the only place and time I've ever felt like anyone has ever loved me or wanted me around. I couldn't risk changing that for anything."

Outside the door they heard hurried footsteps. Amy, Rory and River scrambled to their feet and away from the door as it was thrown open and Aderyn stormed angrily from the house. After a few seconds the Doctor emerged as well.

By the time he reached the TARDIS, Aderyn was already heading for the door again, a bag thrown over her shoulder and the vortex manipulator on her wrist.

Amy, Rory and River ran from the house. They needed to make sure that Aderyn didn't do anything stupid like punching the Doctor or leaving.

As Aderyn walked passed him the Doctor grabbed her arm. He spun her round, took the bag from her back and hugged her.

"My dear, sweet, amazing Aderyn, nothing could stop me wanting you around. Nothing," He said "If anything, I don't ever want you out of my sight," he broke away from her and put a hand on her cheek. "If I could go back and change everything bad that has ever happened to you I would. If I could change all of that without destroying the universe I would. Believe me I would," He lowered his hand and gave her back her bag "Leave if you want. But just know that I don't want you to go. The TARDIS door will always be open for you. Nothing will have changed." He stepped away from the door. His hearts sank when Aderyn stepped towards it. But she just stuck her head out and said "You guys can stop sneaking around now," She walked back into the TARDIS and put her bag down again. Amy, Rory and River stepped into the TARDIS "You can relax I'm not leaving." River, Amy and Rory ran at her, all throwing their arms around her as best they could. The Doctor was soon pulled into it as well.

"You've got us, Beastie. Whether you like it or not." Amy said, her voice muffled by Aderyn's shoulder.


	17. Through The Vortex

Aderyn, Amy, Rory and River had all fallen asleep in the living room, squashed onto sofas. The Doctor watched Aderyn for a minute. She had fallen asleep next to him, curled on one side of the sofa, her hand on River's shoulder, tangled in her hair. River was sat on the floor. She had fallen asleep with her head against the sofa. Rose had been right of course, Aderyn really did act like him on occasion. He had been told by a few people. Amy had delighted in pointing it out to him several times. But now he actually thought about it. It all should have been obvious really. No one ever followed his train of thought like she did. She had been unnaturally quick at learning how to fly the TARDIS. And the TARDIS had always looked out for her more then anyone else.

When he was certain they were all really asleep, he got up and quietly left the room. When he stepped inside the TARDIS it let out a single wheeze. "I'll be back to them before they wake up," He told her "But right now I have something I want to do." The Doctor flicked switches and pushed buttons. Invisible and silent, the TARDIS flew through the vortex.

A child cried. It was a truly scared cry. But no one came. The door was locked and no one was home. The child was alone. That was until an unseen door opened and out walked a tall, lanky man with floppy hair and a pronounced chin.

The Doctor walked over to the small cot and peered over the bars at the wailing child "What's all this noise for then?" He said soothingly. He lifted the baby Aderyn out of the cot and swayed her gently till her cries lessened. "Nightmare was it? Well don't worry about them. I'll chase them all away." With nothing else to sit on, the Doctor sat on the floor, rocking Aderyn to sleep while singing her Gallifreyan lullabies. When she was finally asleep again, he carefully placed her back in the cot and crept back into the TARDIS. He stayed there all night with the door open, listening out for the slightest noise from Aderyn. When he heard the front door open and raised voices in the hall, he closed the door and switched the scanner on. But no one entered the room. He left before Aderyn had woken up.

Back through the vortex and he found her again. It would have been a year or two later. She couldn't have been older then about five or six. She was by herself, walking through a park. She was lost. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS right in front of her. "Hello," He said cheerfully "Are you lost?" Aderyn nodded. "Where are you meant to be?"

"With my parents. I'm not as quick as them and I lost them." Aderyn said quietly. Seeing her so small and scared and vulnerable was almost heart breaking. He was used to seeing the Aderyn that was tough and sarcastic.

"Shall we find them?" The Doctor asked kindly.

Aderyn shrugged "I'm cold. I want to go home."

The Doctor crouched down to her level and smiled "Let's get you home then. I'll just grab a coat." He disappeared into the TARDIS. When he turned back to the door, Aderyn was peering in.

"What is that?" She asked.

"It's the TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside. It can travel through time and space," He said. He stood in front of the console and twirled theatrically. "Maybe one day I'll take you for a trip. But right now," He handed her a dark purple jumper "You need to put that on because it's cold and we need to get you home."

The Doctor was furious when he took Aderyn home. Her parents didn't care that she had been lost, or even that she had arrived back so late. They had muttered a half hearted, almost disappointed, thanks to the Doctor for taking her home. Though why they had gone home and not looked for her, the Doctor didn't understand. But then he remembered what Aderyn had told him about them. Hearing about it was one thing. But witnessing it was completely different. He wanted to storm in there and take Aderyn away from them. It was too early to do anything about it now. The whole walk back to the TARDIS he shook with anger. He took the TARDIS straight to Aderyn. She jumped violently when he stepped out of the TARDIS into her room. "Are you ok?" He asked her. She nodded but he knew she was lying. He pushed the TARDIS door open fully "Want to see something cool?" She nodded excitedly and jumped to her feet. He left the TARDIS door open and showed her excitedly round the console room and the TARDIS library. She had been fascinated by the books he had and he'd given her a book filled with brightly coloured pictures of alien flowers and landscapes. And they spent an enjoyable half an hour stretched across the console room floor painting and drawing. She had insisted on giving him the picture she had drawn to 'brighten up the library'. When she started to yawn and get a bit grumpy he demanded she got to bed. But he stayed with her, telling her stories of the wonders he'd seen until she'd drifted off. The picture she had done was placed on a shelf in the library.

He made a few short, random trips through her time line. Just little, unimportant visits at unimportant moments to make sure she was ok, help her with homework. He knew it was important she had someone there. She had asked him a few times if he was going to take her away from it all. But he always told her the same thing. It was too soon. After a slightly longer then intended trip, where he'd spent a few fascinated hours reading through her school work and becoming fascinated by her ability to write fantastic stories at such a young age, he decided that he had to make an important visit.

Once again into the vortex. But this time he went a bit further ahead then the normal few months. If his calculations were correct, and they weren't often, Aderyn should be ten and it would be Christmas. Quick checks proved that he had been right this time. Or rather, the TARDIS knew what he was doing and made sure he was in the right time. He quickly wrapped a couple of presents and cautiously stuck his head out of the TARDIS door. He'd developed the ability to accurately land in her bedroom. And once again, he'd got it right. Aderyn was sat at a desk, peering at the snow through an open window. He could hear raised voices in the house. He knocked on the TARDIS to get her attention. When she turned to him, he held a finger to his lips and beckoned for her to follow. She looked nervously at the bedroom door before dashing after him as he ran back into the TARDIS.

"Merry Christmas." He said happily.

"Um, merry Christmas." she said, uncertainly.

"I got you something," He held out the poorly wrapped presents "I'm sorry I'm not very good at wrapping."

"Thank you." She unwrapped the first. It was a blue diary with eight panels embossed on the front. When she opened the front cover she saw a small drawing of a bird and an intricate design of circles. The second was a rag doll. The doll had a grey dress and a shock of curly yellow hair. There was a small piece of brown leather around one wrist like a cuff.

"I know you may be a bit old for dolls but this one is special. Her name is River and she'll look after you." The Doctor explained.

"Why? Are you going somewhere?" Aderyn asked sadly.

"Not at all. You'll see a lot of me over the years. But sometimes you may need River."

Aderyn smiled at him, a broad, genuine smile. "Thank you. I mean it. Thanks. This is the first time anyone has ever got me anything."

"Get used to it kid." The Doctor smiled.

It was Aderyn's first Christmas that had been anything but another day. It was her first trip in the TARDIS. The Doctor took her to Victorian London, where Christmas spirits were high. He had considered taking her to see Madame Vastra. But he then remembered that he would do that in a few years anyway and it wasn't a good idea to mess with time. He was doing enough of that already.

Aderyn enjoyed the Frost Fair he took her to and when he took her home he promised she would see him soon.

That wasn't entirely truthful. He hated himself for giving her the false hope. He wouldn't see her now for a couple of years when she would meet his previous regeneration, who would save her life and take her on several grand adventures. He had left a note for himself, the version of himself that would be horrified by the state of her living conditions, the version of himself that would rummage through her pitiful collection of books while he waits for her to get back from school. That version of himself would find a message in one of the books. A simple message without too many spoilers. It was a time, date, location and instructions to make sure Aderyn met a certain lock picking Victorian chamber maid.


	18. You Look Different

When Aderyn awoke the Doctor was gone. River was still sat on the floor and Amy and Rory were stretched along a sofa. She quietly got to her feet and found River's bag. She pulled the vortex manipulator out of it and slipped it on. There was someone she had to buy a drink for. And she would need to do some explaining.

Rita left the hospital feeling oddly disconnected. She had barely been able to make it through the day. Since she had returned home after the hotel she had been almost disenfranchised by the world around her. She pulled her hood up. It was little protection from the rain but it made her feel more secure with the hood up. The sound of someone clearing their throat made her look up. Leaning against a lamp post no more then a few feet away from her was Aderyn. At least someone who looked like Aderyn. This person was taller, with longer, curly hair.

"Hi." Rita said as she approached her.

"I believe the drink is mean to be on me." Aderyn smiled.

They ducked into a coffee shop to get away from the rain. It was busy but they were able to find a quiet corner to talk in.

"Thank you for helping me." Rita said shyly.

"Don't mention it," Aderyn said "How have you been?"

"Fine." She replied. This was a lie, but she didn't know if she would be able to properly put into words how she had been feeling. But Aderyn seemed to understand.

"I know what it's like to suddenly find yourself in a world you don't understand. But I was younger then you when that happened. I do understand." Aderyn said quietly.

"The Ponds and the Doctor, did they make it out?"

Aderyn nodded "Yes and I'm sorry to say I wasn't completely honest about them. The Doctor is my father and the Ponds are my in laws."

"I thought River was glaring at me a bit too much." Rita laughed.

"Yeah sorry about that, I was having issues." Aderyn mumbled at the coffee, not quite able to bring herself to meet Rita's gaze.

"You look different." Rita said.

Aderyn tried her best to explain what had happened. And although Rita nodded and said she had a vague understanding of what Aderyn was talking about, she clearly didn't. When Rita gave Aderyn back the vortex manipulator, Aderyn decided she had better get back before the Doctor. Awkward goodbyes were said and, as Rita turned a corner and Aderyn lost sight of her, she wondered whether she would ever bump into her again.


	19. Next Stop, Everywhere!

When the Doctor returned he found Aderyn sat in the garden. He smiled at her as he left the TARDIS and wordlessly sat in the garden chair next to her.

"Thank you." She said quietly.

"What for?" The Doctor frowned.

"For being there just because I needed someone, for coming to get me."

The Doctor smiled at her "I'll always be there when you need someone. Always." He stood and held out his hand, which she took. He pulled her to her feet and lead her to the TARDIS.

Sat on the floor of the TARDIS, their legs dangling in the space beneath them, they watched the sun rise over the Earth. The Doctor knew then that, above all else, there would always be at least the three of them. The Doctor, his Little Bird and the TARDIS. Next stop, everywhere!


End file.
